New Zealand on a Japanese Licence — Same Side, Single-Lane Bridges

Here is the reassuring part for a Japanese driver heading to New Zealand: you stay on the left, just as you do at home. The single hardest thing most foreign visitors wrestle with — flipping every reflex to the opposite side of the road — simply is not on your list. Roundabouts turn the way you expect, the driver’s seat is where it should be, your mirror-and-shoulder routine still works. That frees up all your concentration for what New Zealand actually throws at you.

And what it throws at you is geography. Outside the cities the roads are narrow, winding and slow — a 280 km trip on the map can swallow a whole day once you factor in mountain switchbacks and coast roads with no straight sections. The classic surprise is the one-lane bridge, common on rural routes: a sign tells you who gives way, and a smaller arrow pointing your direction means you yield to oncoming traffic. Slow to a crawl, look right through to the far side, and be ready to stop. Plenty of back-country roads are unsealed gravel too, where braking distances stretch and rental insurance often excludes you — check your policy before you turn off the tarmac.

Your Japanese licence is valid for up to 12 months, but bring a 1968 International Driving Permit with it, since the licence is in Japanese script. Carry both plus your passport.

Speed limits are 50 km/h in town and 100 km/h on the open road and motorway — note there is no higher motorway figure, so the open highway and the expressway share the same cap. Enforcement is camera-heavy. The drink-drive limit is 0.05, above Japan’s 0.03, and a typical speeding penalty is NZD 80 (about EUR 45) plus demerit points. Petrol runs near NZD/EUR 1.72 a litre and the emergency number is 111, not Japan’s 110.

Read the full rules on our New Zealand driving guide, confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, and budget the fuel for those long South Island days with the Fuel Cost Calculator.